Burial Furnace

The old man raised his head and looked Zhang Yuan up and down.

"Qi Refining stage?" he asked.

"I just broke through to the first level of Qi Refining," Zhang Yuan answered truthfully.

The old man nodded, walked to a bookshelf further inside, rummaged through it for a while, took out three jade slips, and returned to place them on the counter.

"Cleansing Clothes Technique, Water Condensation Technique, Illumination Technique," the old man introduced one by one. "These are all the most basic introductory spells, suitable for cultivators in the early stages of Qi Refining. One jade slip costs two low-grade spirit stones, three for a total of six."

Six low-grade spirit stones.

Zhang Yuan felt a pang of sympathy.

But magic is the foundation of one's livelihood, and this money cannot be spared.

He gritted his teeth, took out six low-grade spirit stones from his pocket, and placed them on the counter.

The old man pushed three jade slips in front of Zhang Yuan: "The method of using the jade slips is very simple. Just stick them on your forehead and concentrate your mind to sense them. The contents will be automatically imprinted into your sea of ​​consciousness."

Zhang Yuan nodded, picked up the three jade slips, and left the bookstore.

Back in the shop, he couldn't wait to sit cross-legged, pick up the jade slip containing the purification technique, place it on his forehead, and concentrate.

The next moment, a stream of information flooded into his mind.

The principles of the Cleansing Technique, the route of true energy circulation, the hand gestures for casting the spell... everything was clearly presented in his mind.

But when he tried to apply that information, he found that he couldn't do it at all.

The moment the true essence left the body, it dissipated, turning into scattered specks of light that vanished into the air.

He tried once, twice, three times... more than ten times in a row, all of which ended in failure.

"My talent... is still too poor." Zhang Yuan sighed helplessly.

Although he had long known that he was not very bright, he was still somewhat frustrated when he actually faced the predicament of "his brain could learn, but his hands couldn't".

At this rate, it will probably take him several months to truly master these three spells.

Several months...

He looked at the three jade slips in his hand, and suddenly an idea struck him.

Jade slips... can they be considered items related to cultivation?

If I throw it into the Evolution Furnace and burn it, will I obtain the power of origin?

With that thought in mind, Zhang Yuan threw the jade slip into the Immortal Transformation Furnace without hesitation.

"puff--"

Dark golden flames instantly ignited, engulfing the jade slip.

In just two breaths, the jade slip vanished completely.

At the same time, a wisp of primordial power surged out from the furnace and merged into Zhang Yuan's body.

Although it was very faint, Zhang Yuan could still clearly feel it—his lifespan had increased by about five days.

But what surprised him even more was that Origin Power Finance also carried a lot of information and integrated it into his memory.

The operational route of the Cleansing Clothes Technique, the flow of true energy, every detail of the spellcasting... those originally obscure and difficult parts have now become incredibly clear, as if he was born with this spell.

He subconsciously raised his hand, and with a thought, a soft white light flew out from his body, flowing over him like ripples of water.

Wherever the white light passed, the dust, sweat stains, and dirt on the clothes all disappeared without a trace.

The clothes looked brand new, and even carried a faint, fresh scent.

The technique for cleaning clothes is complete!

Zhang Yuan stared blankly at his clean clothes for a long while before he suddenly came to his senses.

"My God... Burning a jade slip allows you to instantly understand the spells recorded inside?"

Doesn't this mean that he doesn't need to painstakingly practice spells at all, but can simply throw the jade slip containing the spells into the Immortal Furnace and burn it to learn them directly?

And it can even increase your lifespan!

This is absolutely awesome!

Zhang Yuan was so excited that his hands trembled slightly. He quickly picked up the second jade slip containing the Water Condensation Technique and threw it into the Immortal Transformation Furnace without hesitation.

The flames reignited, and the jade simplified into nothingness.

Another wisp of primordial power surged into his body, increasing his lifespan by another five days.

At the same time, all the knowledge and experience about water congealing techniques were imprinted into his mind like a brand.

He raised his right hand, his five fingers slightly bent, and a thought struck him.

The surrounding air seemed to be drawn by something, and countless tiny water vapor molecules gathered from all directions, condensing and swirling above his palm, eventually forming a water ball the size of a fist.

The water sphere was crystal clear, shimmering in the sunlight filtering through the window paper, like a flowing gem.

Zhang Yuan lowered his head and took a sip.

It is sweet and refreshing, and its flavor is delightful.

"It's done! It's done again!" Zhang Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud.

He couldn't wait to pick up the last jade slip and throw it into the Immortal Transformation Furnace.

Flames ignited, and the jade simplified into nothingness.

Life expectancy increased by another five days.

At the same time, a flood of information rushed into his mind—the operating route of the illumination spell, the compression method of true energy, the release techniques… everything became incredibly clear.

He raised his right hand, palm facing upward, and mobilized the true energy in his dantian.

The true essence rotates and compresses in the palm.

The next moment, with a "poof" sound, a golden ball of light the size of a fist leaped out from his palm.

The radiant light made his face exceptionally bright.

This ball of light had no temperature and no harmful power.

It can only provide illumination.

An unprecedented sense of confidence welled up in Zhang Yuan's heart.

He mastered all three spells in less than a quarter of an hour. Moreover, he gained an extra fifteen days of lifespan.

The price was a mere six low-grade spirit stones.

"This is so awesome!" Zhang Yuan grinned.

He walked to the window, opened it, and looked out at the sunlit town of Aoki, feeling incredibly happy.

Instantly, a commotion was heard from afar, interspersed with a familiar, aged voice, tinged with sobs and pleas.

"Gentlemen, I beg you, this is a small business, we really can't afford a thousand taels of silver..."

That was Old Man Xia's voice.

Zhang Yuan's brows furrowed sharply.

He strode out and looked in the direction of the sound.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered in front of Old Man Xia's breakfast stall.

In the middle of the crowd, three burly men stood there, hands on their hips, glaring and looking arrogant.

The leader was a bald, burly man with a face full of scars, and his open shirt revealed a ferocious wolf head tattoo on his chest.

He had one foot on the bench next to him, a black iron rod in his hand, and a blade of grass between his teeth.

Two other thugs stood behind him. One was tall and thin, holding a dagger that he twirled between his fingers, its blade gleaming coldly.

Another short, chubby man with a pockmarked face was leering at Cuihua, who was huddled in the corner, his mouth practically watering.

Old Man Xia knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, his forehead pounding against the ground with a loud thud.

Er Lengzi lay on the ground beside him, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He covered his face and struggled to get up, but the bald, burly man kicked him back down.

"Stop wasting your breath!" the bald, burly man spat out the blade of grass in his mouth and said viciously, "The protection fee on this street has always been a thousand taels of silver a year. Your shabby shop has been open for so many years, and I didn't bother collecting from you before because you were old and about to die. But now—not a single penny less!"